This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-190886, filed Jun. 28, 2002, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a technique for enhancing the operation speed of a portable electronic medium which is generally called an IC card.
2. Description of the Related Art
An IC card is set into a serviceable state by defining necessary key files, data files and the like on a nonvolatile memory provided inside the IC card according to the service objectives and applications and writing data into the above files.
The above process is generally called xe2x80x9cissuancexe2x80x9d.
In the IC card, a function which executes instructions to issue the IC card itself is prepared, and generally, one file can be defined and data of one unit can be written by executing one instruction.
Issuance of the IC card is made by sequentially executing instructions of a number corresponding to the number of necessary files and data items.
Therefore, when an IC card is issued, instructions used to define files and instructions used to write data as described above are adequately combined and executed, and thus, definition information and data are written on the nonvolatile memory in the IC card each time the instruction is executed.
However, in the above instructions, information such as instruction codes and transmission control information required for communication are contained in addition to information written in the nonvolatile memory.
As a result, information which is redundant in comparison with information to be really written into the nonvolatile memory is transmitted to the card.
Further, generally, the IC card receives an instruction from the exterior via a relatively low speed serial interface or sends a response to the instruction.
The speed is generally only 9600 bits/sec in a normal contact type IC card.
Therefore, in the issuing process for transmitting/receiving redundant data as described before, time required for the transmission process becomes extremely long.
Next, the instruction executing procedure with respect to an IC card in the conventional IC card issuing process is explained.
That is, instructions which define key files and data files on the nonvolatile memory in the IC card and instructions used to write data into the above files are sequentially executed in a predetermined order.
Each instruction is configured by a combination of an instruction code, attached information (such as definition information of the file and data itself to be written) and protocol control information used to perform serial communication.
Further, each time execution of one instruction is terminated, a response code expressing the result of execution is output from the IC card together with the protocol control information.
Thus, conventionally, there occurs a problem that an extremely long time is required for the communication process and time required for issuing an IC card becomes long since a large number of redundant instructions are supplied to the card via the low-speed interface in the IC card issuing process.
An object of this invention is to provide a portable electronic medium and a portable electronic medium issuing system and issuing method in which a host device and a portable electronic medium are coupled by serial communication and which issue a portable electronic medium by transmitting a series of instructions from the host device to the portable electronic medium, can shorten time for transmission of the series of instructions by data-compressing and transmitting the series of instructions and reduce time for an issuing process.
A portable electronic medium of this invention in which application data is stored in a nonvolatile memory based on a plurality of instructions supplied from an external device by serial communication and which performs processes by use of the stored application comprises decompression means for expanding or decompressing compressed data of at least each instruction message from the external device, and storage means for storing an execution result of the instruction message decompressed by the decompression means in the nonvolatile memory.
In a portable electronic medium issuing system of this invention in which a host device and a portable electronic medium are coupled by serial communication and which includes a nonvolatile memory used to store files and file control information according to a plurality of issuance instruction messages from the host device, the host device includes first creation means for creating a plurality of instruction messages for issuance of a portable electronic medium and transmission means for compressing at least each instruction message created by the first creation means and transmitting the compressed instruction message to the portable electronic medium, and the portable electronic medium includes decompression means for expanding or decompressing compressed data of at least each instruction message supplied from the host device and storage means for storing files and file control information according to the instruction message decompressed by the decompression means into the nonvolatile memory.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.